Starter-bar head with make-and-break joint



March 15, 1966 R. w. MASTERS ETAL 3,239,894

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United States Patent O Filed Mar. 6, 1963, Ser. No. 263,200 1 Claim. (Cl. 22--57.2)

This invention relates to starter bars used in continuous casting and, in particular, to a starter bar having a head with a quickly detachable joint, to facilitate separation of the bar from the leading end of the freshly started casting as it descends from the usual flow-through chill mold.

In the art of continuous casting, it is conventional to use a starter bar, the upper end of which ts snugly in the lower end of the mold. At a certain distance below the mold, the starter bar is released from the casting as by cutting off with flame torches which permit continuous travel of the casting. This operation is troublesome, requires a certain amount of time, particularly if the casting is large, and must be effected during continued descent of the casting. The speed of the latter must be kept low, therefore, `because of the limited space available in which to complete the severance.

It is the object of our invention to provide a starter bar having a head with a quickly detachably joint whereby the separation of the bar from the descending casting may be accomplished quickly and easily. In a preferred embodiment, we provide a starter-bar head made up of separable upper and lower members adapted to be temporarily connected while the bar is being raised to insert the head into the bottom of the mold. The upper member is adapted to unite with the casting formed as liquid metal is poured into the mold. The lower member is adapted for connection to the starter bar proper. After starting a cast, the two members of the head are separated by lateral displacement of the upper member incident to deflecting the casting from its normal vertical path to an arcuate line of travel down a curved roller table into an ultimate horizontal position for further processing.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from the following detailed description and eX- planation which refer to the accompanying drawings illustrating the present preferred embodiment. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation of our improved starter bar showing the leading end of a descending casting afxed thereto;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view thereof taken along the plane of line II-II of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 are similar to FIGURE 2 showing diagrammatically the several stages in the separation of the upper and lower members of the starter-bar head.

Referring now in detail to the drawings and, for the present, to FIGURES 1 and 2 particularly, our starter bar is of metal and of a section approximating that of the desired casting. Bar 10 has a head 11 comprising upper and lower members 12 and 13, respectively. These members have intertting adjacent portions of mating tongue-and-slot formation indicated at 12a and 13a. Pins 14 hold the mating portions temporarily in engagement while the bar is being raised to insert the head 11 into the mold thereabove (not shown).

Member 12 has holes drilled into the top thereof to receive headed studs 15 which are `secured in place by keys 15a. The upstanding ends of the studs afford a secure anchorage in the lower end of the casting 16 as it solidities. The lower member 13 is slotted to receive a tongue 17 on the upper end of bar 10 and is secured thereto by through pins 18. As the bar, with its head members connected by pins 14, is raised to begin a casting, the head 11 and upper end of bar 10 pass between guide rolls immediately below Ithe mold. I ust before the head enters the mold, the bar is stopped and pins 14 are removed. The bar is then raised further to its starting position with the head in the lower end of the mold.

As the formation of a casting is initiated by pouring molten metal into the mold, downward movement of the bar and casting is started by pinch rolls 20 (FIGURE 3). Head 11, after traversing the pinch rolls, travels past a fulcrum roll 21 and then past a pusher roll 22 mounted on the opposite side of the vertical path of the bar, for movement toward and from the latter. As soon as the head 11 has descended below the axis of roll 22, the latter is actuated toward the right, as viewed in FIGURE 3. Bar 10 at this moment engages a guide roll 23. As a result, the movement of pusher roll 22 disengages the upper head member 12 from the lower member 13, as indicated in FIGURE 4, and also causes the leading end of casting 16 to be deflected from its normal path, bending the casting about roll 21.

Further travel of roll 22 increases the bend in the descending casting and positions the end thereof with upper head member 12 aixed thereto, for entry onto a curved roller table 24 which thereafter guides the casting into a final horizontal position in which it enters a conventional rolling mill (not shown). As the leading end of the casting is severed, the member 12 is detached by disconnecting pins 15a.

It will be evident from the foregoing that our invention provides a simple but effective means whereby the head end of a continuous casting may be separated from the starter bar used to initiate the cast. The separable elements of the starter-bar head are not only easily detachable but the upper member may easily be removed from the end of the casting. The only parts which have to be replaced for each cast are studs 15.

Although we have disclosed herein the preferred embodiment of our invention, we intend to cover as well any change or modification therein which may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:

A continuous casting starter 4bar permitting detachment of said bar from an attached continuously formed casting by lateral deflection of the leading end of said casting, said bar comprising a length of metal of a section approximately that of the casting to be produced, a head removably secured to one end of said length of metal, said head having detachable upper and lower members, removable means for securing said members together, said upper member having means on its upper end forming an anchorage for the lower end of a continuously formed metal casting as it solidies, the adjacent ends of said upper and lower members having intertting tongue and slot portions for disengagement of said upper member and the attached casting from the lower member and attached length of metal by lateral movement of the entire upper member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,187,720 1/ 1940 Williams 22-57.2

FOREIGN PATENTS 729,359 5/ 1955 Great Britain.

J. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner. MARCUS U. LYONS, Examiner. 

